Help needed...miserable...

ClaireLK1987

Hi all,

I am feeling really down at the minute. I started calorie counting (again) on Saturday 20th Feb and lost 6 lbs in the first week. I was so happy.

Then this week (into day 4) and I have not lost a thing yet, in fact I have actually GAINED a little. How is that possible?! I am on 1200 calories a day and exercising (doing at least my 10,000 fitbit steps per day and often (but not everyday) incorporating a high intensity DVD, as well as going to a bootcamp). I am considered very obese according to BMI, so I just don't get why it isn't falling off me!

I am skeptical about the whole "1200 calories is too low" thing and "going into starvation mode" but would really appreciate some motivation/support here.

I KNOW it is only the 2nd week and perhaps I am expecting miracles but surely I should be losing more?

Thanks in advance!

C

BTW I have an underactive thyroid but am on a pretty high dose of thyroxine so this shouldn't affect it.

janejellyroll

You aren't going to lose weight every day or even every week. When you drop a lot of weight in a week, you may not see losses the next week.

This is going to be a long process. It will require patience.

jemhh

Adjust your expectations. You aren't going to lose every day. You have to look at this as a long term project and life change, especially if you are very obese according to BMI. Inch by inch you'll get there but not if you get hung up on the millimeters.

Azercord

Not to sound mean or discouraging but most of that 6lbs in week one was water. Slow and steady is the key, just keep pushing and the pounds will disappear but you have to be realistic about it.

ManiacalLaugh

You're right to be skeptical about starvation mode, as it's a myth. In honesty, 1200 calories might be too low, but that would not stall your weight loss.

If this is the first time you've been on a calorie restriction in a while, and if you have a decent amount of weight to lose (more than 50lbs), you might be experiencing what some refer to as the "second week stall." For the obese individual, the first week's loss is usually dramatic because the dietary changes instigate a water/glycogen spill. You lose a little fat, but most of your measurable loss is water. During the second week, water/glycogen losses level out. You still might lose a little fat, but it might not show on the scale. This "stall" can sometimes last into week 4 before fat loss begins to appear on the scale again.

I would give it another week or so - and then reevaluate. If you don't have a lot to lose, or if your last go with calorie-counting was fairly recent, it could be a problem with overcompensating for burns or under-logging. For the moment though, I wouldn't worry too much.

clevelandkat40

I get it. I am an instant gratification seeker, and one of the MOST difficult things about making a true lifestyle shift to a healthy relationship with food and exercise has been coming to terms with not seeing results all the time, even when I think I should be seeing them the most.

So what piece of motivation do I hold on to, when I'm not seeing progress (at least the way I used to define progress)? The fact that I feel 110% better than I used to, when I'm eating well, drinking plenty of water, and moving more. (And congrats on getting your 10K steps....it is my goal as well, and it's more difficult than some people think!) I feel happier, more energetic, and even smarter, because those healthy foods feed my brain as well!

I know you said you weren't inclined to buy into the "1200 calories is too low" school of thought, but I truly believe it IS too low - especially with your levels of activity. There are plenty of delicious, healthy, filling things you can eat that will help you feel not only satisfied but energized and fulfilled. (For example - I just ate a hearty portion of homemade hummus with a ziploc bag full of bell pepper, cucumber, snow peas, carrots and celery, plus a serving of those Blue Diamond nut thin crackers. And I'm having a couple of clementines for dessert. Delicious! I'm staying a bit light for lunch today because I know I'm having dinner at a Thai restaurant tonight with my mom and my husband, so I'm saving up. But I'll have an apple and maybe a rice cake with peanut butter mid afternoon so I won't be starving when we get to the restaurant. Honestly, as long as I get to eat peanut butter, I'm pretty much happy!)

Hang in there....this is a journey. And sometimes journeys can be as amazing as the destination. I've learned so much (and I'm still traveling, for sure). You'll start to see trends, and will become more comfortable with the ups and downs. As long as you don't give up, you've got this!

ClaireLK1987

Thanks all. I am very careful with weighing everything (obsessively so!). I don't eat back my exercise calories so my net calories will be quite low I imagine. I just think it's a bit unfair. I know it will take time though. I guess I am impatient and wish I could lose weight more quickly...

Thanks again.

runningalice

All water weight you wont be gaining back fat its just how peoples bodys fluctuate

KAYRRIE

I lost 15 pounds so far Claire and so far I haven't exercised as much yet. How is it possible for me to lose that much weight? I'm not taking weight loss pills (only cause I just forget lol). I've been aiming at drinking 10-12 cups of water per day. I'm sticking to the amount of calories I'm allowed per day and I'm trying to eat less processed food (only cause of all that stupid salt that will bloat you and make you feel heavier and it shows on the scale easily). You may not want to believe the whole 1200 calorie minimum per day but it's true. Think of it as that's the amount of gas you need in your "car" for it to run properly. That amount is your fuel, and if you're heavier set then you actually need a bit more. If you're exercising that much then I'm assuming you're not eating your calories back. So if you're allowed 1200 and you burn 500 and you don't eat it those back, then your body is trying to function on only 700 cals, which will put it into "survival" mode and it will hold on tight to that fat for "protection". If you're allowed 1200, eat all your calories. You can have a big salad with grilled chicken, you can have eggs, protein, peanut butter, whole wheats, etc. all kinds of yummy choices. As they say, it's 80% diet, and 20% exercise. I've tested it and it's true. Hope this helps.

trinty425

I too am skeptical to a point about eating "too little" calories. I know from personal experience...anything under 1200 a day is a horrible thing to do to yourself. I just recently entered in a diabetes prevention class...and they said my 1300-1600 average for daily calories is too low and want me to eat 1800 calories a day! But, I am doing whatever they want me to do...and we will see what happens. 6 days of eating a lot more and I am still at the exact same weight, body fat, and measurements.

The hard part is that every person has their "right balance"...and it is a long and frustrating process to find yours. Great job on the physical activity! I've only gotten myself up to about 4-5 thousand fitbit steps so far and 15 min increments on the elliptical.

dwntwnpengrl

Things that helped me:

LOTS of water. It's almost all I drink now. And no, diet soda doesn't count. I always thought it did and some professionals even said - fine, liquid is liquid. It's not. At least not for me. Diet soda dramatically increases my desire for sugar.

Limiting fake sugar. Like all sweeteners in diet soda, or low cal this that or the other (even yogurt). I try to avoid it when and where I can.

Eating real food. Not stuff that comes in packages. So, real protein (chicken, beef, pork, fish), fresh fruits and vegetables.

Increased my calories to 1500. At 1200 I was cranky, whiny, and lethargic. I didn't really realize it until I increased my calories.

And I see regular loss when I work out (not just get my steps in) 6 days a week (including 1 day a week with a personal trainer because I decided I was worth the time and money (which should be paying for other things)).

All of it together gets me slow, steady, manageable, results. I do all of that and still usually only manage a pound a week.

And I too am hypothyroid.

Molly

(friend me if you'd like)

JeromeBarry1

People's bodies fluctuate, indeed. Women people's bodies fluctuate even more. Your Time of Month causes fluctuations. Your sodium intake causes fluctuations. Look back over your reported food of the past few days and see if you had big swings in sodium. One day of extra sodium leads directly to additional water retention. One day of lower sodium leads to dramatic weight loss, but it's mostly water. Look at your fiber intake. Yup, it has consequences. Look at the variety of your diet. Certain foods have a mysterious (to me) ability to mess with my expected weight loss. I don't worry about that, because I know that if I'm honestly recording my food accurately and (I don't even try to eat back my calories burned in exercise) recording my exercise I will be in a 1000 calorie per day deficit and that must bear out through all the reasons things may fluctuate.

Yesterday, for instance, my food intake changed, somewhat dramatically, but was still in my target range of between 1200-1300 calories and between 1200-1500 mg sodium. This morning my weight was unchanged from yesterday. I'm not going to worry about that, I'm not going to give up and I'm not going to eat chocolate to sooth my sorrow. Actually, a Hershey Kiss is in my plan, but just one. I, a male, have fewer uncontrollable sources of fluctuation than you do, but the principles which govern fat retention are the same for both of us. Get yourself into calorie deficit and stay there for extended weeks.

kyle_the_file

I did the same type of thing. I lost 10 lbs quickly, and I've been stuck just a little bit around that level since new years. I'm slowly losing it now, and I'll find that on one day I will hit a goal, and then the next day I will bounce back up even though I stuck to the diet. Ignore the fluctuation and focus on maintaining the process. That doesn't mean you shouldn't weigh yourself, just don't be surprised if the weight yoyos a little. You'll have days when you loose two pounds all at once, and you'll wonder why.

ClaireLK1987

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all your replies. So should I be eating back my exercise calories do we think?

blues4miles

When I lose weight quickly, my body tends to play catch-up and then the next week it will slow down. Say I'm aiming to lose 1 lb a week. Well if in the first week I lose 3 lbs all at once, I often have to wait another 2-4 weeks before the scale will start losing again. It's like my body is energy balancing that first 3 lbs I lost right away.

ndj1979

ClaireLK1987 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all your replies. So should I be eating back my exercise calories do we think?

yes, you should net 1200 a day. So if you burn 300 you eat 1500 - 300 burned = 1200 net.

caveat - you should only eat back half of your exercise calories because calories burned tend to be off on the high side...

so in the above example you would eat 1350 = 150 burned (half of 300) 1200 net

mommazach

I don't eat my exercise calories back. EVER. I shed those damn things and want them gone for good. Make sure you are drinking enough water, and by water I don't mean sweetened with some artificial crap, just good old water. I sometimes will drink tea or coffee, but NO sweeteners. I found an app that sends me reminders and it calculates how much you should be drinking based on your weight. Make sure you flush your system regularly.

ManiacalLaugh

ndj1979 wrote: »

ClaireLK1987 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all your replies. So should I be eating back my exercise calories do we think?

yes, you should net 1200 a day. So if you burn 300 you eat 1500 - 300 burned = 1200 net.

caveat - you should only eat back half of your exercise calories because calories burned tend to be off on the high side...

so in the above example you would eat 1350 = 150 burned (half of 300) 1200 net

I would agree with this unless you're exceptionally short (under 5').

treehopper1987

Maybe focus on counting calories/exercise and having longer periods of time for stepping on the scale if you are an instant gratification seeker. Your weight naturally can fluctuate between 2-5 pounds.

ndj1979

mommazach wrote: »

I don't eat my exercise calories back. EVER. I shed those damn things and want them gone for good. Make sure you are drinking enough water, and by water I don't mean sweetened with some artificial crap, just good old water. I sometimes will drink tea or coffee, but NO sweeteners. I found an app that sends me reminders and it calculates how much you should be drinking based on your weight. Make sure you flush your system regularly.

ummm you are supposed to net a certain number of calories...or are you really recommending that OP consume BELOW 1200 calories..

it is not about what you "shed" it is about the number of calories that you require to lose weight and perform basic bodily functions...

janejellyroll

mommazach wrote: »

I don't eat my exercise calories back. EVER. I shed those damn things and want them gone for good. Make sure you are drinking enough water, and by water I don't mean sweetened with some artificial crap, just good old water. I sometimes will drink tea or coffee, but NO sweeteners. I found an app that sends me reminders and it calculates how much you should be drinking based on your weight. Make sure you flush your system regularly.

Something sweetened with "artificial crap" is going to be as hydrating as something unsweetened. Hydration is important to health. It isn't essential that the hydration all comes from water.

sanfromny

Mapalicious

I eat back 20%-25% of my exercise calories, as MFP calculates them (or adjusted to the exercise machine I was using, if I was using one). I would NEVER include the "steps I take in a day" as exercise calories though, unless it was a purposeful long walk that I did. I don't count steps tho.

So for example, I am now set to lose 1/2 a pound a week. I eat 1700 per day, but if I exercise off 500 calories, then I add 100 calories to what i can eat, and eat 1800 per day.

So I know "survival mode" isn't a thing, but hormones & metabolism CAN be affected by weightloss and how much (or how little) you eat. I tend to hang on to my fat when I go low, so I prefer to lose slowly, little by little. It makes it much more manageable for me.

That being said...it's only been two weeks! It's going to be months and months of work. So dig in your heels, and get used to new habits. But ALSO - make sure those habits are sustainable! If you are overly-hungry, tired, grumpy, etc - from not being able to eat enough, then eat a bit more food! You want to make this journey doable, not make yourself so unhappy and uncomfortable that you're discouraged and jump off the wagon.

Also - what are your stats? (height/weight)?

RoxieDawn

ClaireLK1987 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all your replies. So should I be eating back my exercise calories do we think?

Yes. To be truthful all devices that calculate calorie burns are just not 100%. HR, fitness bands and the computers on the cardio machines. Only a portion...

But..You are on medication which throws a wrench in the "norm" weight loss and you should work with your body not against it. Give this a bit more time.

I personally (you do not have to) would wait until the scale moved. This way I did not throw additional calories into the mix that you are eating not causing weight loss.

When you start loosing and you will have a better understanding what your body is doing with being at a deficit, medication and exercise and even what you are eating at the time to find the balance.

But eat the exercise calories if you feel weak or fatigued so that you're getting the right energy balance. I would never just tell someone not eat back exercise calories should they need to avoid health or medical issues...

You may have a slightly bit more a challenge with medical issues and being on medication.

Dandelie

Start recording your weight at weightgrapher. I use it to show the fluctuations and to view the trending weight. What I love about it is that it is a visual of my weight going down. Even when I fluctuate above what I would like it to be.

lemurcat12

ClaireLK1987 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Appreciate all your replies. So should I be eating back my exercise calories do we think?

Yes, although like others said you might want to start with 50%, as they can be overestimated (figuring them out depends on many variables and the MFP estimates tend to be optimistic).

I did 1250 net beginning in early 2014 and lost 95 lb in about 13 months, and I ate 1250 net (which means eating back exercise calories) for the majority of it. When I switched I was exercising a lot more and went to a TDEE-based goal that includes exercise upfront so you eat the same amount of calories per day, but I think it would have averaged to a similar number.

I have never regretted eating that amount for the first part of my loss, as I had a lot to lose and averaging at 2 lb/week was appropriate, and I'm 5'3 and not that young. I do regret cutting so low as I got into the healthy range, as I think I may not have preserved as much muscle as I could have.

Another thing I am happy about is the decision to eat back exercise calories. When you have a lot to lose focusing on the loss per week being maximized is a foolish choice, as it's going to take a long time anyway, and you need something you can be happy with over a period of time, to be eating a normal kind of diet not something that feels like you are "dieting" or are deprived. Allowing myself to eat those calories helped with this. Also, many people who cut too low think they are fine until they are not, and then just lose it and quit or binge. For me having some extra calories to play with helped me feel like my diet was more flexible and prevented me from getting bored of it (much as I enjoy many lower calorie foods). It also helped me be able to focus not just on weight loss, but on improving at the various physical activities I was doing, which was important to me, to have positive goals to focus on beyond just loss.

So certainly if you have an aggressive (low) goal like I did and you do, you should eat back exercise calories.

It's also good for your health, of course.

ElizabethOakes2

Also, I can recommend start taking your measurements in addition to stepping on the scale. That scale sees everything and it lies from time to time, because it counts that undigested meal, or a bit of water weight in recently worked out muscles. Sometimes seeing that tape a quarter-inch tighter when the scale hasn't budged can be a big boost!

vivmom2014

mommazach wrote: »

I don't eat my exercise calories back. EVER. I shed those damn things and want them gone for good. Make sure you are drinking enough water, and by water I don't mean sweetened with some artificial crap, just good old water. I sometimes will drink tea or coffee, but NO sweeteners. I found an app that sends me reminders and it calculates how much you should be drinking based on your weight. Make sure you flush your system regularly.

You've been very vocal in the forums about not eating back your exercise calories, but if not eating them back means that you're netting below the minimum 1200 calories per day it isn't healthy. Besides not fueling the body properly and losing more muscle mass, it's not a good recommendation for others.

KAYRRIE

ummm you are supposed to net a certain number of calories...or are you really recommending that OP consume BELOW 1200 calories..

it is not about what you "shed" it is about the number of calories that you require to lose weight and perform basic bodily functions...[/quote]

Agreed! For a long time goal this is the truth.

btinghutch

ClaireLK1987 wrote: »

Hi all,

I am feeling really down at the minute. I started calorie counting (again) on Saturday 20th Feb and lost 6 lbs in the first week. I was so happy.

Then this week (into day 4) and I have not lost a thing yet, in fact I have actually GAINED a little. How is that possible?! I am on 1200 calories a day and exercising (doing at least my 10,000 fitbit steps per day and often (but not everyday) incorporating a high intensity DVD, as well as going to a bootcamp). I am considered very obese according to BMI, so I just don't get why it isn't falling off me!

I am skeptical about the whole "1200 calories is too low" thing and "going into starvation mode" but would really appreciate some motivation/support here.

I KNOW it is only the 2nd week and perhaps I am expecting miracles but surely I should be losing more?

Thanks in advance!

C

BTW I have an underactive thyroid but am on a pretty high dose of thyroxine so this shouldn't affect it.

I gain between 5-6 lbs without fail, every month due to PMS. I can easily look 4 months pregnant!lol It's just always the way my body has been. It still bums me out when I step on the scale and my pants don't fit. It could possibly just be that for you?? If you lost 6 one week and stayed at 6 the next, keep track of your cycle on a calendar, and see??
If it's not, it's still common to lose water weight the first week of training/dieting,,and then hover around the same weight for a while. If you're doing things right, you're building muscle, and it does weigh more than fat

lemurcat12

That's a good idea. I always found I lost much better in two weeks than the other two per month. Everyone's pattern is different and after a few months you will know yours. In week two it's just as likely to be an adjustment to the big drop in week one, however, or water retention from increasing workouts. In any case no reason to worry.